33-year-old Leigh Anne Arthur was a teacher for Union County High School. Notice I said “was.” Arthur was forced to resign after one of her students stole her phone and shared her naked picture.
Arthur said she stepped out of the classroom for a couple minuets leaving her phone on her desk. She says that the phone had no passcode on it. Arthur says after class a student came up to her and said
‘Your day of reckoning is coming.’
Apparently Arthur didn’t think of it any type of way because she said,
“Kids being kids, I didn’t think twice about it.”
This teacher had no idea what that student meant until the photo ended up on social media. Arthur says she thinks the photo was stolen by kids who were failing her class. She states the picture was sent to her husband for Valentine’s Day. Arthur says,
“I felt mad and violated because that’s my privacy. It definitely hurts.”
Arthur then started to hear that the superintendent David Eubanks wanted her to resign. That pretty much put the icing on the cake. She asked him why.
“He told me it was because I had inappropriate material on my phone and that I had made it easily accessible to students.”
This was her personal phone! Those students had no right to touch her personal belongings. David Eubanks, the superintendent released a statement saying,
“One of the most critical responsibilities that a classroom teacher has is the supervision of students. In this particular case there was a breakdown in the classroom in that most critical area. Evidence and statements indicate that the teacher was not where she should have been at the time the incident occurred. As a result, a student accessed inappropriate material on her phone, sent it to others, and as a result also may also be severely punished by law enforcement as well as the school district. This is a case where a staff member, properly supervising students, could have prevented a very serious problem.”
Arthur said she would resign but then tried to take it back saying she was emotional at the time. Authorities have gotten involved and are now investigating the situation. Union City Police Chief Sam White says,
“The student’s phone is in custody of law enforcement by means of a search warrant. The department has sent the phone to the State Law Enforcement Division for a forensic inspection of any data that relates to this report.”
The student has not been pushed for releasing the picture. Eubanks says the only way the student will be punished is if the police find anything. Arthur believes she did not wrong. She says,
“I know I haven’t broken any laws. I stand by what I did. We all have inappropriate images on our phone. It’s OK to be involved in a passionate relationship with your husband.”
There is now a petition going on to get Arthur’s job back. So far, there are 2,300 signatures.
Source: Complex
